Depositions in Boynton Beach Wrongful Death Lawsuit Involving 81-Year-Old Woman Who Bled Out After Botched 911 Calls Are Underway

Last year, our Palm Beach County personal injury lawyers blogged on the Boynton Beach wrongful death case of widower Sidell Reiner, who lost his wife Seymour Reiner. The 81-year-old woman died in 2009 after bleeding to death while making Thanksgiving dinner. Now, in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, depositions in the case are taking place.

Seymour bled to death after dropping a wine glass on her foot and cutting herself on November 26, 2009. She called 911 several times, but, unfortunately, Comcast couldn’t locate her residence. It was almost 17 minutes before rescuers arrived at her her home, but because she couldn’t answer the door and no one could see her, they left the premise. By the time Sidell arrived home, his wife was dead from a severed artery in her foot.

Sidell has sued Comcast, the city of Boynton Beach, Deltacom (contracted for operator services), and the Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue. He believes that his wife might have survived if only the defendants hadn’t been negligent. They are all claiming that they did nothing wrong.

While the defendants say they completed their legal obligations in the manner in which they handled Seymour’s call, Sidell’s Palm Beach County wrongful death team disagrees. The plaintiff’s side contends that tracking down her address shouldn’t have been a problem for Comcast or Deltacom-regardless of the fact that she pressed 0 instead of dialing 911-and that fire-rescue team members should have made a more solid effort to make sure that no one at the Sidell residence was in real trouble rather then concluding that there was no one there. If a paramedic had knelt down and looked through the clear glass placed below a stained glass window next to the door, he/she would have seen blood and shattered glass on the floor. It is important to note that negligence by an emergency medical worker can be grounds for a Palm Beach paramedic malpractice case.

As you can see, there may be more than one party who should be held liable for your loved one’s Palm Beach wrongful death. A liable party also doesn’t have to be the direct cause of someone’s passing to be sued for negligence. In some cases, it will be someone’s failure to act or fulfill a duty of care or actions that indirectly contributed to someone’s Florida wrongful death that will be the reason for damages.
Dying woman’s phone calls for help tragically mishandled, attorney says, Sun-Sentinel, August 21, 2011Suit filed after grandma bleeds to death, WPTV, October 27, 2010